Paneer is one of the most loved and delicious dishes among all Indians. Paneer is mainly popular for its versatility, soft, cheesy, and chewy texture. Paneer is very flexible and never fails to amaze most of us as it absorbs flavors well and is easy and fast to cook.
Paneer or Cottage cheese is an amazing ingredient every vegetarian look to have on their food menu. Paneer or Cottage Cheese has become one of the most important dishes among Indian people who use it to prepare a variety of dishes such as curries, desserts, and soups, etc. The versatility and taste of paneer are the reasons why people are crazy about paneer recipes.
Paneer not only has a great taste but is also quite beneficial for health. You can make Paneer by curdling milk with lemon, vinegar, or any other sour product that is readily available with you.
Paneer is very nutritious and you can find that100 grams of paneer contains carbohydrates (4 g), fat (4 g), sugar (3 g) energy (98 kcal), and protein (11 g). It is also loaded with various minerals such as magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and selenium.
How to make paneer at home
1. You have to boil the milk in a pan over medium flame.
2. When the milk starts boiling, add lemon juice or vinegar and stir it gently. The milk will start curdling.
3. Allow it to curdle till the time you see water and paneer separate. Leave it around five to ten minutes.
4. Line the colander with a muslin cloth and pour curdled milk into it. You have to strain the paneer and squeeze off the excess water that is there.
5. Place a heavy weight on top of it for 15- 20 minutes and allow it to settle down and after 20 minutes you can see a block of paneer which is ready to use.
How to store paneer
1. You have to wrap the paneer in a wet muslin cloth and keep it in the refrigerator.
2. If you are looking to store paneer for a longer period, moisten the muslin cloth after every 4-5 hours.
3. Take out the packaged paneer from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start preparing your dish.
Here is the list of best paneer recipes that you can make for your family and kids at home
Chilli Paneer Recipe
Chilli Paneer is a delicious recipe made with sauces and veggies. It is an Indo-Chinese recipe and is a perfect snack that you can have along with your drinks.
Kadhai Paneer Recipe
Kadhai Paneer’s recipe is filled with onions and capsicum as the main ingredients. It also has a spicy masala. You will enjoy it a lot with naan and roti.
Paneer Chaman Recipe
Paneer Chaman recipe is made out of fresh cream, paneer, onion, coriander leaves, yogurt, and a melange of earthy Indian spices. You will simply love it
Paneer Tikka Kali Mirch Recipe
Your friends and family will thank you for this mouthwatering treat! The Paneer tikka is roasted in the oven and cooked with marinated spices. This entire dish is dominated by black pepper.
Paneer Tandoori Recipe
Paneer Tandoori looks very simple yet it is a spicy dish that is made with the help of paneer, curd, meat masala, and Kasuri methi is added to give it a nice taste.
Paneer Pakora Recipe
Paneer Pakora is made by dipping paneer cubes in seasoned gram flour batter and then it is deep-fried. You can serve them with some onion rings and ketchup.
Paneer Makhni Recipe
Paneer Makhni is a mouthwatering dish in which pulpy cubes of Indian cottage cheese are cooked in thick creamy and tangy gravy.
Paneer Kebab Recipe
Paneer is cut into cubes and then it is soaked with different spices and cooked over a grill till it becomes light brown.
Tomato Paneer Recipe
To make this dish paneer cubes are pan-fried with onion, then tomato gravy is flavored with a special spice mixture.
Palak Paneer Recipe
This is one of the delicious dishes that you can easily find on the menu card of most Indian restaurants. It is prepared by cooking paneer in pureed palak or spinach gravy.
Paneer Butter Masala
It is one of the famous Indian recipes which is made by cooking paneer in smooth creamy and delicious curry. This curry base which is also known as butter masala needs onions, tomatoes, herbs, various spices, and cashew nut. Butter is also added to it due to which it is less spicy. This can be cooked in 30 minutes. It is also one of the most easily available dishes in the restaurant.
Paneer Lababdar
This gravy is made with the help of boiled onions, tomatoes, spices, and red chilies. This boiling process adds super taste to this dish. Although this is somewhat similar to the butter masala, there is no need to add butter to it and it is also spicier than the other. You can serve this with phulka, jeera rice, or plain basmati rice.
